scholarly journals ReMindCare App for Early Psychosis: Pragmatic Real World Intervention and Usability Study

10.2196/22997 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e22997
Author(s):  
Lucia Bonet ◽  
John Torous ◽  
David Arce ◽  
Ignacio Blanquer ◽  
Julio Sanjuan
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Usability Study ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Ehealth Intervention

Background eHealth interventions are widely used in clinical trials and increasingly in care settings as well; however, their efficacy in real-world contexts remains unknown. ReMindCare is a smartphone app that has been systematically implemented in a first episode of psychosis program (FEPP) for patients with early psychosis since 2018. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of ReMindCare after 19 months of use in the clinic and varying use by individual patients. Methods The integration of the ReMindCare app into the FEPP started in October 2018. Patients with early psychosis self-selected to the app (ReMindCare group) or treatment as usual (TAU group). The outcome variables considered were adherence to the intervention and number of relapses, hospital admissions, and visits to urgent care units. Data from 90 patients with early psychosis were analyzed: 59 in the ReMindCare group and 31 in the TAU group. The mean age of the sample was 32.8 (SD 9.4) years, 73% (66/90) were males, 91% (83/90) were White, and 81% (74/90) were single. Results Significant differences between the ReMindCare and TAU groups were found in the number of relapses, hospitalizations, and visits to urgent care units, with each showing benefits for the app. Only 20% (12/59) of patients from the ReMindCare group had a relapse, while 58% (18/31) of the TAU patients had one or more relapses (χ2=13.7, P=.001). Moreover, ReMindCare patients had fewer visits to urgent care units (χ2=7.4, P=.006) and fewer hospitalizations than TAU patients (χ2=4.6, P=.03). The mean of days using the app was 352.2 (SD 191.2; min/max: 18-594), and the mean of engagement was 84.5 (SD 16.04). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first eHealth intervention that has preliminarily proven its benefits in the real-world treatment of patients with early psychosis. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1111/eip.12960

scholarly journals ReMindCare App for Early Psychosis: Pragmatic Real World Intervention and Usability Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Bonet ◽  
John Torous ◽  
David Arce ◽  
Ignacio Blanquer ◽  
Julio Sanjuan
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Usability Study ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Ehealth Intervention

BACKGROUND eHealth interventions are widely used in clinical trials and increasingly in care settings as well; however, their efficacy in real-world contexts remains unknown. ReMindCare is a smartphone app that has been systematically implemented in a first episode of psychosis program (FEPP) for patients with early psychosis since 2018. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of ReMindCare after 19 months of use in the clinic and varying use by individual patients. METHODS The integration of the ReMindCare app into the FEPP started in October 2018. Patients with early psychosis self-selected to the app (ReMindCare group) or treatment as usual (TAU group). The outcome variables considered were adherence to the intervention and number of relapses, hospital admissions, and visits to urgent care units. Data from 90 patients with early psychosis were analyzed: 59 in the ReMindCare group and 31 in the TAU group. The mean age of the sample was 32.8 (SD 9.4) years, 73% (66/90) were males, 91% (83/90) were White, and 81% (74/90) were single. RESULTS Significant differences between the ReMindCare and TAU groups were found in the number of relapses, hospitalizations, and visits to urgent care units, with each showing benefits for the app. Only 20% (12/59) of patients from the ReMindCare group had a relapse, while 58% (18/31) of the TAU patients had one or more relapses (χ<sup>2</sup>=13.7, <i>P</i>=.001). Moreover, ReMindCare patients had fewer visits to urgent care units (χ<sup>2</sup>=7.4, <i>P</i>=.006) and fewer hospitalizations than TAU patients (χ<sup>2</sup>=4.6, <i>P</i>=.03). The mean of days using the app was 352.2 (SD 191.2; min/max: 18-594), and the mean of engagement was 84.5 (SD 16.04). CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first eHealth intervention that has preliminarily proven its benefits in the real-world treatment of patients with early psychosis. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1111/eip.12960

scholarly journals S114. THE EFFICACY OF “URGENT CONSULTATION REQUEST”; PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF A REAL-WORLD APP (REMIDCARE) FOR EARLY PSYCHOSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S77-S78
Author(s):  
Lucia Bonet ◽  
David Arce ◽  
Ignacio Blanquer ◽  
Blanca Llacer ◽  
Sanjuan Julio
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Real World ◽  
Psychiatric Care ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Phone Call ◽  
Consultation Request ◽  
High Engagement ◽  
Clinic Hospital

Abstract Background Patients are clamming for more personalized and closer clinical attention (Bonet et al. 2018). To this end, we developed RemindCare app. The app conducts daily and weekly assessments and this information is used to prevent relapses, to improve the therapeutic alliance and it is automatically included at the electronic clinical record of the hospital. Moreover, patients can contact clinicians by an “Urgent Consultation Request” (UCR), which is answered by a phone call in a period of 24-48h. This app was introduced in clinical practice in October 2018. Since then, 81 patients met criteria for inclusion and 57/81 (71%) started using the app. The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy of this UCR to determine if this function can improve the real-world treatment of patients with early psychosis. Methods RemindCare app, is offered as an extra-service to the usual psychiatric care of patients in an Early Psychosis Program (EPP) at the Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Spain (Bonet et al. 2019). No remuneration is offered to any patient or clinician to use the app. Data of 57 patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder was analyzed: the 26.3% (15/57) used the UCR (UCR group) and the 73.7% (42/57) did not (Non-UCR group). Mean age of the sample was 31.5 (SD=9.3), 56.1% were male, 87.7% caucasian and 82.5% were single. Mean years of illness was 3.5 (SD=2.8), CGI mean 4.1 (SD=0.9), GAF mean 60.5 (SD=12.3) and PANSS mean 56.6 (SD=12.2). Results Mean of months using the app was 8.4 (SD=4.5), 38.6% (22/57) of patients used the app for more than a year (12–13 months) and mean of engagement was 84.3 (SD=18.9). No significant differences were found between UCR and Non-UCR group in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. However, there was a difference between groups in terms of engagement to the app (χ2= 6.3, p=0.04). The 93.3% of the UCR group had a percentage of engagement to the app between 81–100% compared to the 66.7% in the Non-UCR group and the number of visits to the Urgent Care Units (UCU) was also higher in the UCR group (χ2= 4.4, p=0.03). Additionally, only the 13.3% (2/15) of patients used the UCR for a psychotic symptom′s aggravation, the 33.3% (3/15) used it to inform of anxiety symptoms and another 33.3% (3/15) to change the clinical appointment. Moreover, the 66.7% (4/6) of patients who attended to UCU had previously made an UCR and they went to the UCU before that period of 24-48h of clinical response ended. Finally, there were no differences in terms of hospital admissions (χ2= 1.1, p=0.3) and psychotic relapses (χ2= 0.08, p=0.8) between groups. However, patients who stopped using the app had more relapses than patients who continued using it (χ2= 15.3, p&lt;0.000). Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first e-Health intervention systematically introduced in clinical practice. Rates of acceptance and engagement are high (71%; 84.3%) and nearly 40% of the sample is using the app for more than a year. Mean of engagement with the app, was extremely high among patients who used the UCR (93.3%; engagement between 81–100%) and although this UCR service was the most required in our previous survey (Bonet et al. 2018), these preliminary results suggest ¡ that the use of this alarm is not related to psychotic relapse detection. However, patients who use RemindCare app had less relapses than the ones who discontinue its use, which highlights the efficacy of the app. This, along with the high engagement and the positive feedback received, suggests that an improvement in real-world treatment of patients with early psychosis may be found in upcoming analysis.

Clozapine use – has practice changed?

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-573
Author(s):  
Roberta Rowntree ◽  
Sean Murray ◽  
Felicity Fanning ◽  
Dolores Keating ◽  
Atilla Szigeti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Treatment Resistant ◽  
Nice Guidelines ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Background: One-third of individuals with schizophrenia have treatment-resistant illness. Of these, up to 60% will respond to clozapine treatment. Aims: This study retrospectively examined clozapine prescribing patterns against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines as treatment-resistant illness emerged in a first-episode psychosis cohort. Methods: A total of 339 individuals with a first-episode psychosis were included in the study. Clozapine prescribing patterns were compared against the NICE guidelines and the impact of clozapine use on one index of service utilisation (hospitalisation) was assessed. Results: A total of 32 individuals (9.4%) from the cohort were prescribed clozapine. The mean time to clozapine trial was 2.1 years (SD 1.95; range 0.17–6.25). The mean number of adequate trials of antipsychotic prior to starting clozapine was 2.74 (SD 1.13; range 1–5). Following clozapine initiation, mean hospital admissions per year reduced from 2.3 to 0.3 ( p=0.00). Mean hospital days pre- and post-clozapine also reduced (147 vs. 53; p=0.00). In total, 18 patients discontinued clozapine use during follow-up – 5 temporarily and 13 permanently. Conclusions: Patients are being prescribed clozapine earlier than previously demonstrated, though delays are still evident, and many patients discontinue treatment. More work needs to be undertaken to understand and address factors which lead to its discontinuation.

Understanding total cost of cancer care to determine strategic interventions to improve value.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerin B. Adelson ◽  
Salimah Velji ◽  
Kavita Patel ◽  
Basit Chaudhry ◽  
Sonia Grizzle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Cancer Centers ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
Infrastructure Investments

3 Background: Cancer centers across the country are largely unprepared to move toward value-based payment. Total cost of care data is not readily available and centers do not know how much of their patients’ care is received at other hospitals, when in the trajectory of illness greatest cost is incurred, or the elements of care that present the greatest opportunity for savings. A previous examination of practice patterns Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) demonstrated that our patients had high rates of ED visits, hospital admissions and ICU use in their last month of life. While this data is consistent with other large academic cancer centers (AMCs), there is a clear opportunity to improve our end-of-life planning and reduce futile care. Cost data supplemented the overutilization analysis, informing the infrastructure investments to prepare us for value-based payment models. Methods: We accessed the 5% Medicare Limited Dataset (2012-2013) to map out cost of care in 6-month episodes for all Medicare patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients who had received chemotherapy at a SCH site were flagged and the analysis included all cost of care, regardless of the site of service or type of professional delivering the service. Results: On average, a first episode of care at SCH cost $26,500, a second episode $38,000 and a third $45,600. Our analysis demonstrated important associations between increases in spending and ED utilization. Patients who had 1 or fewer ED visits during an episode, averaged $21,000 vs. $49,000 for those with 2 or more. Patients who died during an episode cost $53,000 compared to $25,600 for patients who lived. SCH episodes were significantly more expensive than CT, and slightly more than a comparable east coast Academic Medical Center. Conclusions: The above demonstrates that aggressive treatments, ED visits and hospital admissions at the end-of-life are major cost drivers. We used the analysis to target infrastructure investments in Urgent Care to reduce ED utilization, Care Management to prevent hospital admissions/readmissions and early referral to Palliative Care for clarification of goals of care. We believe these investments will lead to significant cost reductions.

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid management of adrenal insufficiency in the United Kingdom: assessment using real-world data

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamran Iqbal ◽  
Kate Halsby ◽  
Robert D Murray ◽  
Paul V Carroll ◽  
Robert Petermann
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Adrenal Insufficiency ◽  
Real World ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Immediate Release ◽  
Resource Utilisation ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Mean

Background and objectives Glucocorticoids are used to manage adrenal insufficiency (AI). We describe treatments used in the United Kingdom and real-world clinical outcomes for each treatment. Methods We used 2010–2016 primary care data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN). Descriptive analyses were conducted, and differences in variables between patients prescribed immediate-release hydrocortisone (IR HC), prednisolone or modified-release hydrocortisone (MR HC) were assessed using Fisher’s exact test. Results Overall, 2648 patients were included: 1912 on IR HC (72%), 691 on prednisolone (26%) and 45 (2%) on MR HC. A total of 1174 (44.3%) had primary and 1150 (43.4%) had secondary AI. Patients on prednisolone were older (P < 0.001) and had a greater history of smoking (292/691, P < 0.001) and CVD (275/691, P < 0.001). Patients on MR HC had more PCOS (3/45, P = 0.001) and diabetes (27/45, P = 0.004). The number of GP visits/patient/year was 6.50 in IR HC, 9.54 in prednisolone and 9.11 in MR HC cohorts. The mean number of A&E visits and inpatient and outpatient hospital admissions ranged from 0.42 to 0.93 visits/patient/year. The mean number of adrenal crises/patient/year was between 0.02 and 0.03 for all cohorts. Conclusion IR HC is most commonly used for the management of AI in the United Kingdom, followed by prednisolone. Few patients receive MR HC. The prednisolone and MR HC cohorts displayed a greater prevalence of vascular risk factors compared with IR HC. The occurrence of AC and primary and secondary resource use were similar between treatment cohorts, and they indicate significant resource utilisation. Improved treatment and management of patients with AI is needed.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID -19 on the children’s hospital of Rabat activities during 2020: General profile and comparison with the year 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 319 ◽  
pp. 01095
Author(s):  
Houda Oubejja ◽  
Adil Cherkaoui ◽  
Toualouth Lafia ◽  
Abdelrhani Mokhtari ◽  
Abdelmajid Soulaymani
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Emergency Rooms ◽  
Children's Hospital ◽  
Average Length Of Stay ◽  
Children’S Hospital ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Surgery Department ◽  
General Profile

The Covid-19 pandemic has put stress on the healthcare system around the world and has had an impact on people’s access to healthcare. This study aims to underline the activities at the Rabat Children’s Hospital (HER), during the year 2020 which experienced a state of health emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Material and methods: We have listed the data from the admission and billing service, about the activities of the hospitalization department of the children’s hospital, Rabat. Data was entered on WPS and analyzed by Jamovi software 1.6.23. We also calculated some performance indicators: Average occupancy rate, average length of stay, and bed turnover interval (BOR, LOS, and BTOI). Results: We distinguished between services providing « urgent care » (intensive care unit ICU and emergency rooms ER) and those providing « non-urgent care » (pediatry and surgery) department. The mean number of hospital admissions (NHA) was around 8123 + /− 3942. The average BOR, LOS and BTOI were respectively 72.0 days (SD: 32.6), 66.83 days (SD: 2.68) and 3.89 days (SD: 4.34). Conclusion : The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on our hospital activities, disturbing its normal functioning. This study tried to have an overview on the current situation and should lead to other studies in the future, allowing a better managmnt of our hospital.

Early Psychosis: Diagnosis and Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 09 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataly S. Beck ◽  
Melanie L. Lean ◽  
Kate V. Hardy ◽  
Jacob S. Ballon
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Psychotic Episode ◽  
First Onset

Background: The typical age of onset for psychotic disorders is concurrent with the typical age of enrollment in higher education. College and graduate students often experience new academic and social demands that may leave them vulnerable to substance use and mental health problems, including the initial onset of a psychotic episode. Objective: To provide a current overview of the guidelines and literature for the diagnosis and treatment of first-onset psychosis with special consideration for the college and graduate student population in the United States. To highlight areas of need and provide recommendations for clinicians who work at educational institutions and their health services, along with general psychiatrists and psychologists who work with post-secondary education populations, to help close the treatment gap. Method: A review of interventions and best practice for the treatment of early psychosis in college students was conducted, informed by the authors’ current experience as clinicians with this population at a United States university. Results: Thorough psychiatric interviews and screening tools can help in the early identification of individuals at clinical high risk for and at first onset of psychosis. Coordinated specialty care services are the gold standard for early psychosis services, including psychotherapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy and individual resiliency training), as well as support for a student to return to school or work. Individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis in general respond better to lower doses of antipsychotics and may also experience more adverse effects. Conclusion: Return to a high level of functioning is possible in many cases of first onset of psychosis, and early identification and treatment is essential.

scholarly journals AB1346-HPR REAL-WORLD EFFECTIVENESS AND PERCEIVED USEFULNESS OF SYMPTOM CHECKERS IN RHEUMATOLOGY: INTERIM REPORT FROM THE PROSPECTIVE MULTICENTER BETTER STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1961.1-1961
Author(s):  
J. Knitza ◽  
J. Mohn ◽  
C. Bergmann ◽  
E. Kampylafka ◽  
M. Hagen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Real World ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Correct Diagnosis ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Link Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Research Grant

Background:Symptom checkers (SC) promise to reduce diagnostic delay, misdiagnosis and effectively guide patients through healthcare systems. They are increasingly used, however little evidence exists about their real-life effectiveness.Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy, usage time, usability and perceived usefulness of two promising SC, ADA (www.ada.com) and Rheport (www.rheport.de). Furthermore, symptom duration and previous symptom checking was recorded.Methods:Cross-sectional interim clinical data from the first of three recruiting centers from the prospective, real-world, multicenter bETTeR-study (DKRS DRKS00017642) was used. Patients newly presenting to a secondary rheumatology outpatient clinic between September and December 2019 completed the ADA and Rheport SC. The time and answers were recorded and compared to the patient’s actual diagnosis. ADA provides up to 5 disease suggestions, Rheport calculates a risk score for rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) (≥1=RMD). For both SC the sensitivity, specificity was calculated regarding RMDs. Furthermore, patients completed a survey evaluating the SC usability using the system usability scale (SUS), perceived usefulness, previous symptom checking and symptom duration.Results:Of the 129 consecutive patients approached, 97 agreed to participate. 38% (37/97) of the presenting patients presented with an RMD (Figure 1). Mean symptom duration was 146 weeks and a mean number of 10 physician contacts occurred previously, to evaluate current symptoms. 56% (54/96) had previously checked their symptoms on the internet using search engines, spending a mean of 6 hours. Rheport showed a sensitivity of 49% (18/37) and specificity of 58% (35/60) concerning RMDs. ADA’s top 1 and top 5 disease suggestions concerning RMD showed a sensitivity of 43% (16/37) and 54% (20/37) and a specificity of 58% (35/60) and 52% (31/60), respectively. ADA listed the correct diagnosis of the patients with RMDs first or within the first 5 disease suggestions in 19% (7/37) and 30% (11/37), respectively. The average perceived usefulness for checking symptoms using ADA, internet search engines and Rheport was 3.0, 3.5 and 3.1 on a visual analog scale from 1-5 (5=very useful). 61% (59/96) and 64% (61/96) would recommend using ADA and Rheport, respectively. The mean SUS score of ADA and Rheport was 72/100 and 73/100. The mean usage time for ADA and Rheport was 8 and 9 minutes, respectively.Conclusion:This is the first prospective, real-world, multicenter study evaluating the diagnostic accuracy and other features of two currently used SC in rheumatology. These interim results suggest that diagnostic accuracy is limited, however SC are well accepted among patients and in some cases, correct diagnosis can be provided out of the pocket within few minutes, saving valuable time.Figure:Acknowledgments:This study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from Novartis.Disclosure of Interests:Johannes Knitza Grant/research support from: Research Grant: Novartis, Jacob Mohn: None declared, Christina Bergmann: None declared, Eleni Kampylafka Speakers bureau: Novartis, BMS, Janssen, Melanie Hagen: None declared, Daniela Bohr: None declared, Elizabeth Araujo Speakers bureau: Novartis, Lilly, Abbott, Matthias Englbrecht Grant/research support from: Roche Pharma, Chugai Pharma Europe, Consultant of: AbbVie, Roche Pharma, RheumaDatenRhePort GbR, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Celgene, Chugai Pharma Europe, Lilly, Mundipharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche Pharma, UCB, David Simon Grant/research support from: Else Kröner-Memorial Scholarship, Novartis, Consultant of: Novartis, Lilly, Arnd Kleyer Consultant of: Lilly, Gilead, Novartis,Abbvie, Speakers bureau: Novartis, Lilly, Timo Meinderink: None declared, Wolfgang Vorbrüggen: None declared, Cay-Benedict von der Decken: None declared, Stefan Kleinert Shareholder of: Morphosys, Grant/research support from: Novartis, Consultant of: Novartis, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Novartis, Celgene, Roche, Chugai, Janssen, Andreas Ramming Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Novartis, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Gilead, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Janssen, Jörg Distler Grant/research support from: Boehringer Ingelheim, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Paid instructor for: Boehringer Ingelheim, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Peter Bartz-Bazzanella: None declared, Georg Schett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche and UCB, Axel Hueber Grant/research support from: Novartis, Lilly, Pfizer, Consultant of: Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Gilead, GSK, Lilly, Novartis, Speakers bureau: GSK, Lilly, Novartis, Martin Welcker Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Novartis, UCB, Hexal, BMS, Lilly, Roche, Celgene, Sanofi, Consultant of: Abbvie, Actelion, Aescu, Amgen, Celgene, Hexal, Janssen, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Aescu, Amgen, Biogen, Berlin Chemie, Celgene, GSK, Hexal, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 infection on hip fracture 30-day mortality

Trauma ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146040862094972
Author(s):  
Ahmed Fadulelmola ◽  
Rob Gregory ◽  
Gavin Gordon ◽  
Fiona Smith ◽  
Andrew Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Hip Fractures ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mean Time

Introduction: A novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a fatal global pandemic which particularly affects the elderly and those with comorbidities. Hip fractures affect elderly populations, necessitate hospital admissions and place this group at particular risk from COVID-19 infection. This study investigates the effect of COVID-19 infection on 30-day hip fracture mortality. Method: Data related to 75 adult hip fractures admitted to two units during March and April 2020 were reviewed. The mean age was 83.5 years (range 65–98 years), and most (53, 70.7%) were women. The primary outcome measure was 30-day mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Results: The COVID-19 infection rate was 26.7% (20 patients), with a significant difference in the 30-day mortality rate in the COVID-19-positive group (10/20, 50%) compared to the COVID-19-negative group (4/55, 7.3%), with mean time to death of 19.8 days (95% confidence interval: 17.0–22.5). The mean time from admission to surgery was 43.1 h and 38.3 h, in COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative groups, respectively. All COVID-19-positive patients had shown symptoms of fever and cough, and all 10 cases who died were hypoxic. Seven (35%) cases had radiological lung findings consistent of viral pneumonitis which resulted in mortality (70% of mortality). 30% ( n = 6) contracted the COVID-19 infection in the community, and 70% ( n = 14) developed symptoms after hospital admission. Conclusion: Hip fractures associated with COVID-19 infection have a high 30-day mortality. COVID-19 testing and chest X-ray for patients presenting with hip fractures help in early planning of high-risk surgeries and allow counselling of the patients and family using realistic prognosis.

scholarly journals The volume of general surgery emergency cases in a government hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and two other periods: a comparative, retrospective study

BMC Surgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Abu Shakra ◽  
Maxim Bez ◽  
Samer Ganam ◽  
Rola Francis ◽  
Amir Muati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Medical Laboratory ◽  
Government Hospital ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Surgical Interventions ◽  
Medical Emergencies ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Surgery Department ◽  
Second Lebanon War

Abstract Background During March and April 2020, reductions in non-COVID-19 hospital admissions were observed around the world. Elective surgeries, visits with general practitioners, and diagnoses of medical emergencies were consequently delayed. Objective To compare the characteristics of patients admitted to a northern Israeli hospital with common surgical complaints during three periods: the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and a regular period. Methods Demographic, medical, laboratory, imaging, intraoperative, and pathological data were collected from electronic medical files of patients who received emergency treatment at the surgery department of a single hospital in northern Israel. We retrospectively compared the characteristics of patients who were admitted with various conditions during three periods. Results Patients’ mean age and most of the clinical parameters assessed were similar between the periods. However, pain was reportedly higher during the COVID-19 than the control period (8.7 vs. 6.4 on a 10-point visual analog scale, P < 0.0001). During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Second Lebanon War, and the regular period, the mean numbers of patients admitted daily were 1.4, 4.4, and 3.0, respectively. The respective mean times from the onset of symptoms until admission were 3, 1, and 1.5 days, P < 0.001. The respective proportions of surgical interventions for appendiceal disease were 95%, 96%, and 69%; P = 0.03. Conclusions Compared to a routine period, patients during the COVID-19 outbreak waited longer before turning to hospitalization, and reported more pain at arrival. Patients during both emergency periods were more often treated surgically than non-operatively.

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